I will let Jeanette explain the circumstances of our meeting…
Life Lesson 63: Never wear jewelry to the beach.
Life Lesson 64: If you do, never take it off to apply lotion.
And so it happened …
A beautiful, relaxing summer afternoon at the beach turned into the loss of my Cartier trinity ring. I had ignored those two life lessons, gotten distracted and now I was in a frantic search for my precious wedding band that had disappeared in the sand. We retraced my steps, sifted through piles of sand, all to no avail.
Early the next morning, while combing the beach again, I met a fisherman who told me about Dave, “the metal detecting man.” He said he had great results. I contacted him and explained my tale of woe. Dave, who lives at least an hour from Long Beach Island, promised he would do his best, but it would take some time.
On a rainy Saturday morning, about 10 days after my misfortune, I got a call from Dave. He had recovered my ring. My precious ring is back on my finger again.
We need more Daves in this world. He took the time to help a stranger in need – a life lesson in itself. Dave exemplified how to live. And I’m not the only lucky one who has been helped. Dave has been doing this for many years and has a treasure chest full of heartwarming stories to share. In a time when headlines are dominated by self-interest, here is a story of selflessness. People like Dave should be highlighted and celebrated. Thank you, Dave, the metal detecting man.
Jeanette Johnson
Crestwood, N.Y., and Long Beach Township
The above appeared in the SandPaper, a local newspaper on Long Beach Island. Read it here!